49 Facts About Richard Christy

In 1996, Richard Christy formed Burning Inside and relocated to Orlando, Florida, where he joined and toured with several popular heavy metal bands until 2004, including Acheron, Death, Control Denied, Iced Earth, and Leash Law.

In 2004, Richard Christy took a break from music and relocated to New York City to join The Howard Stern Show.

Richard Christy has written, directed, and acted in several home made independent films and has performed as a stand-up comedian.

Richard Christy returned to music in 2009 when he formed his own metal band, Charred Walls of the Damned.

Thomas Richard Christy was born in Fort Scott, Kansas on April 1,1974.

Richard Christy grew up in the nearby town of Redfield, on a "farm in the middle of nowhere".

Richard Christy became a fan of Kiss and Meat Loaf from four years old when his aunt introduced him to them and bought him their albums a year later.

Richard Christy proceeded to save up his pocket money to purchase the album on audio cassette.

Richard Christy wished to learn the drums after he heard "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen, in 1984.

Richard Christy's parents had no issue with his decision, and to this day, they remain supportive of his career.

Richard Christy bought instructional videos to improve his technique, including tapes from Terry Bozzio.

Richard Christy was influenced by drummers Frankie Banali, Mikkey Dee, Bobby Jarzombek, Sean Reinert, and Gene Hoglan.

At fourteen, Richard Christy attended his first concert, seeing Stryper and White Lion.

Richard Christy passed his school music exams, and played in his first "legitimate" rock group, Syzygy, at around fifteen which involved live gigs in local bars.

Around this time, Richard Christy formed a short lived "joke band", Bung Dizeez, along with Paul Brewer, Gary White, and sometimes Les Henderson.

In 1992, Richard Christy graduated from Uniontown High School in Uniontown, Kansas, where he lettered in baseball.

In 1992, the 18-year-old Richard Christy decided to pursue music in college in Kansas.

Richard Christy joined local metal group Acheron, touring and playing on Anti-God, Anti-Christ and Necromanteion Communion.

In 1997, Richard Christy met fellow Orlando resident, singer and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner, in a chance encounter at a Florida book store in Altamonte Mall.

Richard Christy was a big fan of Schuldiner's metal band Death, so when he learned the group needed a drummer his friends suggested his name and he was offered an audition.

The audition was a success, and Richard Christy played on The Sound of Perseverance, an album he called "the album I'm most proud of".

In May 1998, Richard Christy toured Europe for four months with Death, which included a spot at the Dynamo Open Air festival in the Netherlands in front of 35,000 people.

Richard Christy played drums on their debut album, The Fragile Art of Existence and When Man and Machine Collide, an incomplete album that is yet to be released.

Between 1999 and 2004, Richard Christy became a member of Iced Earth and Leash Law, timing his schedule in order to perform in multiple bands at once.

Richard Christy landed the gig in Iced Earth through contacts he knew at Century Media Records, a prominent heavy metal label.

In 2004, Richard Christy began a five-and-a-half year hiatus as an active musician, but kept in touch with the metal scene by practicing his drums, attending local concerts, and writing articles for several publications.

Richard Christy signed a recording deal with Metal Blade Records in 2009 to release an album with his metal supergroup, Charred Walls of the Damned.

Richard Christy asked his first choice of musicians to take part in the project: bassist Steve Di Giorgio, vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens and guitarist Jason Suecof.

Richard Christy named the latter as the first letter of each word matched the band's initials.

Richard Christy has performed live with Dream Theater, "A Favor House Atlantic" with Coheed and Cambria, Tiwanaku, Rick Renstrom, and Wykked Wytch.

Sometime after 2011, Richard Christy put together music that featured his three guinea pigs.

Richard Christy became an avid listener of The Howard Stern Show in 1996 when he moved to Florida, listening to the program "every morning religiously" with headphones while he worked as an electrician.

Richard Christy made his debut appearance on April 24,2003, when the show was broadcast from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Richard Christy lost a round of blackjack in hope of winning a date with a porn star.

Richard Christy produced a required demo CD of his bits, and was selected to compete for the prize of an initial three-month contract and $25,000.

Richard Christy had grown tired of living in Florida, and wished to move.

Richard Christy then relocated from Florida to New York City, where the show is based.

Richard Christy has become known on the show for his prank calls, song parodies, and outrageous stunts, usually performed with Governale.

Richard Christy faced challengers in porn trivia in Stump the Perv, vomited on guests, received a bikini wax, and painted his genitals.

From 2005, Richard Christy performed nationwide as a stand-up comedian as part of the Killers of Comedy Tour with other show cast members.

Richard Christy hosted Inside the Porn Actors Studio on Howard 101, an interview series that parodied the television series Inside the Actors Studio with porn actresses, with Richard Christy filling the role of host James Lipton.

Richard Christy once dreamed of a career in film after he saw Brad Pitt, from nearby Springfield, Missouri, in Interview with the Vampire.

Richard Christy hung up posters of Pitt in his New York City apartment, and once worked at a computer store owned by Pitt's parents.

In 2001, Richard Christy released his feature-length film, Leaving Grunion County.

Richard Christy has recorded voiceovers for the Adult Swim shows Metalocalypse and Rick and Morty.

Richard Christy guest appeared on the Cartoon Network series Uncle Grandpa, playing Ric.

Richard Christy later made a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.

Richard Christy married Kristin Jenco on July 30,2011, in New York City.

Richard Christy is a Kansas City Royals fan and attended the 2015 World Series between the Royals and New York Mets with fellow Howard Stern Show co-worker Gary Dell'Abate.